CDA razes Islamabad’s G-10 Sunday Bazaar overnight after promising reopening

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) bulldozed Islamabad’s G-10 Sunday Bazaar between 2am and 3am on Thursday, destroying traders’ goods worth millions of rupees. The overnight operation permanently removed a market that had been closed temporarily two weeks earlier, with assurances that it would reopen.

The G-10 and G-11 Sunday bazaars had both been shut after being identified as security risks. At the time, the CDA said trading would resume once foolproof security measures had been arranged.

The abrupt closure left merchandise locked inside stalls, including garments, jackets, shoes, household utensils, hosiery, cosmetics, toys and plasticware. By the time residents arrived on Thursday morning, the market had been flattened, with goods, tents, makeshift shops and iron railings strewn across the site.

Stallholders condemned the demolition, saying they should have been allowed to collect their belongings before the operation. They described the losses as the destruction of their lifetime savings.

Two stallholders, Idrees Ahmed and Iqbal, said they learned at about 10am on Thursday that the stalls and kiosks had been demolished. On reaching the site, they found that none of their possessions had survived.

They said the CDA’s anti-encroachment team had razed every kiosk, stall and shop. Around 1,000 kiosks, makeshift shops, carts and pushcarts had supported livelihoods at the bazaar, where rent was paid regularly.

Throughout Thursday, traders sifted through the wreckage for goods, toys and clothing they could recover. Tearful stallholders carried away whatever remained usable.

The CDA said the temporary Sunday Bazaar and women’s bazaar between sectors G-10 and G-11 had been permanently closed, with all stalls and temporary structures demolished.